Ron Takes a Life
by whitem
Summary: I guess the title says it all, but why did he do it?  Read and find out...  Part 2 posted, and this is now complete.  Minor corrections made in ch1...
1. Chapter 1

This is just another one of those things that started with a germ of an idea, and I kept going until this emerged.

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and all characters related to the show are owned by the "Mouse Ears" Channel, Disney.

Ron Takes a Life

"I told you once if I told you a thousand times, Betty," Kim said heatedly, "I will NOT carry a gun of any kind. I'm sorry."

Dr. Elizabeth Director sighed while looking at Kim, knowing full well that this high sensibility of hers would soon be her undoing. Sometimes she wished that Kim had the same sense as her partner, Ron. "Kim… Kimberly… I respect how you feel about such barbaric weapons, but sometimes a person must do some things that they don't like. It's… a part of life."

Kim shook her while she spoke. "Spare me your sensibilities Betty. Read my lips... I... will... not... carry... a... gun."

…x x x x…

Kim shook her head at the memory of her last meeting with Betty Director. She couldn't believe she had been so naïve at that point in time, even though it was only a few hours ago. It was her current situation that made her wish that she had not been so stubborn on the issue.

It had been a text book mission to take down Dementor and retrieve the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer. The demented little German thought he could use it in conjunction with his Transportulator to send himself anywhere in the world.

That is, it was text book until she and Ron were separated during their escape from his mountain hide-out. The little… well… Kim wouldn't even call her enemies nasty names, but she so wanted to tell Dementor that he looked like a phallic symbol. Anyway, the guy used an actual exploding rocket to try and knock them out of the sky while they were flying away on jetpacks. The resulting explosion caused her current predicament where she was sitting by a small mountain stream with a broken leg and a severely damaged Kimmunicator wondering where Ron ended up landing.

…x x x x…

Ron Stoppable always had the worst luck, but this time it seemed to be of the good variety. The mid-air explosion did separate him from Kim, but his jetpack wasn't damaged sending him spinning out of control as Kim's had. He was just sent off course, and landed relatively unscathed, while Rufus just held on for dear life in his pocket.

His landing was rough though, as Ron had to roll for a few feet. After standing, he quickly pulled out his Kimmunicator and was able to get Kim's signal so he knew where she was relative to his current position. A small red dot on the screen indicated where she was, and he took off in the direction indicated.

He didn't want to alert anyone to where he was by throwing off a high heat signature, so Ron opted to retract the wings and hike to Kim's position. As he trudged through the trees and shrubs, he would occasionally check the screen to make sure he was still on course. He had to double back a few times when he would run into an impassable barrier of either rock, or dense trees. Finally it cleared out, and Ron stepped out of the trees and into a blast of wind.

The area that he and Kim had landed in was a small valley with a stream meandering through. Each side of the stream had about 50 feet of marsh-like land, and then there were the dense trees right after that. The total distance across the valley from edge to edge was only about 300 yards, making the area seem more like a canyon than a valley. From the shape and position of the sides of the valley, winds would funnel down into the area and reach speeds of near 60 to 70 mph. They just happened to crash land during one of those winds.

With the wind whipping his hair, Ron scanned the other side with binoculars searching for Kim, and finally saw her. He tried waving to get her attention, but she was looking in the wrong direction. He tried contacting her with the Kimmunicator, but all he got was static. Apparently Kim's device was able to transmit its emergency beacon, and that was it. He also tried yelling to her, but the wind just carried his voice away.

What Ron saw next almost caused his blood to freeze. About 50 yards behind Kim was one of Dementor's goons. Quickly Ron raised his binoculars again, and surveyed the situation. He quickly located two more henchmen, but they were at least 75 to 100 yards up and down stream of Kim, respectively. The one behind Kim saw her sitting against a rock by the stream, and Ron could see that he carried a small handgun of some kind, and was sneaking up behind her. She had no idea he was there.

Before any of the henchmen could spot him, Ron ducked behind some dense foliage. Quickly he took off his backpack, and dug deep inside for the one thing he was glad he brought, but hid from Kim. She would have his hide if she knew he carried it all.

Ron quickly snapped together the small folding rifle, and brought it to bear on the goon approaching Kim from the rear. The small rifle didn't have a scope, so he had to rely on the hard sites, and he also had to deal with the wind. Ron hoped and prayed that the little bit of training given to him at GJ would be enough. He despised killing, but this was the only way to help Kim in her situation. There was no way he was going to let this guy even HURT his Kim.

…x x x x…

Oblivious to the guy behind her, Kim stayed against the rock by the stream, waiting for Ron. She knew he would be there soon, and everything would be fine. She relaxed a bit and contented herself by just taking in the landscape around her.

Suddenly her senses screamed at her to turn around, and with a painful grimace she did so just in time to see one of Dementor's goons level a hand gun in her direction. Her eyes went wide and the explosion from the gun echoed in her ears. She felt something slam into her left shoulder causing her to spin around and yell out in pain.

_"I've been shot!"_ Kim screamed to herself and her vision started to darken at the edges and close in.

Her head swam and her vision blurred as Kim's knees buckled beneath her and she fell with a thud. Not knowing how long it had been, suddenly Kim felt someone gently take her head and set it on outstretched legs. She strained to look up, and saw Ron. Weakly smiling, Kim spoke in a whisper. "My hero…"

…x x x x…

After shooting the henchman in the head with either pure skill or dumb luck, Ron looked down at the weapon in disgust, and realized what he had just done. His hands were shaking and he could feel his heart hammering in his chest. _I did it…_He thought to himself with a bit of awe, but then without warning he tossed the gun down and threw up.

While catching his breath, the images he had just seen were being replayed in his head. He had seen the flash of the handgun, and saw Kim spin down to the ground. Kim had been shot, and she would need help! Ron had never run so fast in his life before and he reached Kim's side in a matter of seconds.

He gently lay her head on his lap and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. Ron heard Kim speak two words, "My hero…" and closed her eyes. He quickly checked for a pulse and found it to be weak and slow.

…x x x x…

Green eyes fluttered open and ruby red lips took a deep breath of air. The eyes looked to the left, and the lips smiled in reaction to what the eyes had seen. There was a shock of matted blond hair sitting on the bed next to her left shoulder, held up by crossed arms. He hadn't moved since the last time she had awoken, but she didn't want to wake him up at that time. With grim determination, and one-handed typing on her Kimmunicator, she had sent a very important message before falling asleep again…

This time Kim reached over with her right hand and felt a small tug on her index finger. She saw the clip sensor that had her partially connected to the heart monitor, and easily slipped it off. Immediately the steady beep… beep… beep became a constant sound. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…

Ron quickly lifted his head and said without even thinking, "No Kim… don't you dare die on me!" He then felt a warm hand touch his cheek, and he looked down into Kim's wide open green eyes.

Almost immediately tears fell from his brown eyes as Ron hugged Kim close to him, and all she could do was hold his heaving shoulders in her arms while an IV tube dangled from her left wrist.

The door burst open and a nurse followed by a doctor entered the room. Kim quickly held up her right hand indicating that the sensor had just been pulled off, and the nurse dutifully reattached the clip. The two quietly let themselves out of the room leaving the two teens alone.

Ron was blubbering incoherently into Kim's shoulder, and she gently pushed him up and away to look into his eyes. "Ron…" He still wasn't making sense. "Ron…" She said again, and then gave him a bit of a shake, causing him to finally shut up.

This time he spoke clearly. "I… I… took a life, Kim."

"What are you talking about Ron?" Kim said as she watched Ron sit back down on the chair next to her bed.

"I… I… killed someone."

All Kim could do was look at him in silence as her mind processed his statement. She recalled back to that moment and remembered seeing the goons head snap back, and his eyes cross before he fell back, dead.

Then she remembered the pain in her shoulder, and her opposite hand came up to the bandage. She measured the distance of the center of the bandage to where her heart was, and then looked back up into Ron's eyes, a tear escaping one of her own.

"Ron…" She began slowly, "You… You didn't k… kill someone, you… you saved mine."

"But I still ended a life, Kim!" Ron said heatedly. "This goes against everything I believe in! I'm… I'm a… killer." He took a deep breath to calm himself.

He started to stand, and a steel grip almost crushed his wrist as Kim stopped him. "Ron Stoppable you are NOT, I repeat, NOT a killer. You saved my life. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"I'm so confused Kim…" He said shaking his head with his eyes closed. Kim could see tears welling inside his eyelids, as they were screwed shut tightly. "You… you were still shot!" Ron gently lay a hand on her bandage.

"I'm sorry Kim!" Ron dropped his head into the crook of Kim's elbow, careful not to aggravate her sore shoulder. "I'm so… so… sorry."

Once again Kim reached over herself with her opposite arm, and gently stroked his hair. "It's going to be OK Ron… It's going to be OK."

The door to her room gently opened, and Kim saw who it was. She nodded her head, and they left. Ron didn't notice a thing. She returned to consoling her boyfriend.

"Things are going to be alright Ron. They're going to be fine."

Swiftly, and silently, 5 Marines entered the room without Ron noticing, until he lifted his head from her arm. He looked around the room with puffy eyes, and saw that they all had full military gear, including side arms.

"What… what's going on Kim?"

One of the Marines stepped forward and spoke in a commanding voice. "Ronald Dean Stoppable… By order of Kimberly Anne Possible, we would like you to come with us."

Ron looked at the man, and then back at Kim with a questioning and hurt look. "Why Kim? What have you done?"

"It's… the only thing I could do, Ron." Tears streaked Kim's face as strong hands latched onto his shoulders, and pulled Ron back away from his girlfriend. His arms stretched out in an attempt to keep contact with Kim's equally outstretched fingers. "It's the only thing I could do."

Through the entire altercation, Ron couldn't help but stare at Kim with shock and hurt. The really odd thing about what was happening, was that ever since the Marines had entered the room, Kim had this very strange smile on her face.

To be concluded…

* * *

Now I bet y'all are wondering just what the heck is going on? Now if I told you… that would defeat the purpose of the cliffy. You should only have to wait a day or two at the most for an answer… (evil chortle) 


	2. Chapter 2

I guess this is what you would call a… "Two-Shot"?

Important note: I did make minor changes in chapter 1 to make things flow just a tiny bit better, but it's not necessary to re-read it if you don't want to.

Let me say Thank-you to all who have read and reviewed the first chapter:Quis Custodiet, azndudex, CajunBear73, cpneb, spectre666, fatherfigure1, DRIFTA, and zardoz101…

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Kim Possible characters, and I hope that I didn't mess up anything related to the military.

Ron Takes a Life

(part two)

As Ron was being led down the hallway of the hospital, his mind was reeling. _What's going to happen to me? Are they taking me to jail? Are they going to… _Ron shuddered, _rough me up? It seems that Kim was giving them orders, so why did she do this to me? They never even said that I was arrested!_

They entered the lobby of the hospital, and Ron saw a large black van sitting outside. Two more armed Marines stood at each side of the opened side door, and immediately he knew that was his destination.

_Once I'm placed in there… I'll disappear._ He thought. _I won't see my friends anymore, my parents, Rufus… or even Kim!_

A thought materialized in his brain, and it was probably the most foolhardy thing he had ever thought in his life. _I've gotta fight… _

Ron started to struggle as the group went through the waiting area. There weren't many people there, but it gave him a few options to fight his way out. He could use a chair as a weapon, and as a last resort, he could use that little girl off to the side as a human shield to get out. He was very glad that they never put any restraints on him, as it would make things a little easier.

He closed his eyes for a quick meditation, and visually saw in his head what he needed to do. Suddenly Ron whirled around and punched the Marine that stood directly behind him. The man went down like a sack of bricks. Before the others could subdue him, he performed a leg sweep that took out two others. Of the last two standing, one was able to catch Ron in a bear hug from behind, and Ron saw the other one step up in front of him. Bringing a knee up, Ron saw the man 's eyes cross, and he too went down grabbing his groin area.

Next, he snapped his head back and felt a satisfying crunch as his skull broke the other Marines nose. The other two that he had taken down with a leg sweep were now up and approaching him. Ron quickly flipped a chair up and held it out in front of himself like a lion tamer, but he was flipping it dangerously close to the two's faces. They held back.

"Mr. Stoppable…" One of them started to say, "Our orders…" Ron interrupted.

"I am not going to jail… and you're not going to make me disappear!" He swung the chair a bit faster, and the two stepped back from him. The two Marines then looked at each with confused faces. It wasn't until this point that Ron noticed that none of them had even pulled their guns on him, because at this point of the fight, he was ready to perform a Gun-Kata that Sensei had taught him.

Then he felt the prick of a needle on the back of his neck. He dropped the chair, and swung around to see one of the guards by the van standing with the dart gun still pointed at him. His eyes started to lose focus, and he shook his head. He stepped forward towards the man, and received another needle in his left shoulder. He reached up, pulled it out, and groggily took another step. A third one stuck into his thigh, and Ron finally went down.

All five Marines who had been highly trained in hand to hand combat finally "stood-down" after Ron finally succumbed to the knock-out darts. They quietly picked him up, gently lay him in the van, and drove off.

…x x x x…

Ron woke with a start, and saw that he was still in the back of the van. This time, there were at least 8 or 10 Marines. They weren't taking any chances this time. Though they ALL were completely confused as to how a High School Senior had taken five of them down.

The van stopped and one of the Marines reached to Ron with a piece of cloth in his hands. Ron shied away, and his arms were quickly grabbed before he could do any damage. He also noticed that at least two more Marines were holding onto his legs. He was still at a loss as to why they never put any kind of restraint on him.

The Marine who held the black cloth spoke. "Mr. Stoppable, I'm sorry, but these are our orders." He then tied the cloth around his eyes.

"So it's to be a firing squad." Ron said with resignation. "I thought those went out with 'Speak Easys', and Fedora's." He heard one of the men chuckle.

Ron then heard the door of the van open, and he was taken outside. He could tell the sun was shining as a small amount of light had worked its way to his eyes. They walked for a short while and then one of the Marines spoke.

"Step up, please. There are four steps."

_A stage?_ He thought. _Just what the heck is going on here?_

They walked for a few steps, the heavy boots of the Marines echoing on the wooden floor. They stopped, and turned him in a specific direction. Then Ron felt someone untying the blind, and it was removed.

The lights were blinding a first, but after blinking a few times, his sight returned. Ron stood there flabbergasted at what he saw. He was on a small stage looking out over a MASSIVE audience. His jaw dropped at also seeing what looked to be a full color guard to his left, and then he looked around on the stage. The Marines that had taken him from the hospital flanked him on both sides. Some with bandages, and one with a rather large one covering his obviously broken nose. On either side of them were even more military.

He then saw a podium that was covered with Microphones, and flanked by two prompter screens. A lone man wearing a three-piece suit walked up to the podium, and adjusted one of the microphones before clearing his throat and speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, The President of the United States."

Ron's jaw dropped at the announcement, and saw the slightly skinny man from Texas saunter up to the podium as everyone applauded his arrival. He stood for a few moments and then raised a hand to silence the crowd.

After the applause died to a trickle, he began to speak in his trademark southern drawl. "Ladies and Gentlemen… I thank you for that kind applause. Though I think you really should be applauding this young man here, Mr. Ronald Dean Stoppable."

The room was silent. "This boy… excuse me… Man, here, has done something remarkable. He saved someone that is near and dear to everyone in the entire world. It is that person who has done all this…" The president indicated the audience and all of the military assembled on the stage.

"Now this person is quite modest, as she doesn't want to take away the lime-light from this young man, who is so well deserved of this honor."

_Honor?_ Ron thought. _What is he talking about?_

"President Harry S. Truman conceived of this honor in 1945, and then in 1963, President John F. Kennedy re-introduced this honor for distinguished civilian service. I now present to you, Ronald Dean Stoppable, the highest Medal of Honor given to a civilian of these Great United States of America… The Presidential Medal of Freedom."

Immediately the place erupted with thundering applause that almost deafened Ron.

The president reached underneath the podium and walked towards a dumbfounded Ron Stoppable, and stood in front him. Cameras flashed all over as he raised his arms and placed the medal over Ron's bowed head. The President then extended his hand, which Ron shook after a few seconds of being completely overwhelmed.

Ron disliked… OK… he HATED being the center of attention. His cheeks were a rosey red, and he could only mouth the words 'Thank-you, sir'. The applause continued, making the first time he had ever blushed a doozy.

It was then that he finally started to look around a bit more in an attempt to hide his embarrassment that he saw a familiar figure off to the side of the stage in a wheel chair. Her arm was in a sling, and he could see the cast on her lower leg. Kim's green eyes were beaming, and he had never seen such a smile from her before. She turned her head and spoke to a military nurse at her side who nodded and then pushed Kim out on to the stage.

At seeing who was now being wheeled onto the stage, the President went back to the podium, and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you… Miss Kim Possible."

The nurse pushed Kim up to the side of the podium, and took a hand-held microphone from its holder and handed it to her. Kim just smiled and raised her hand to the applause that had increased at least twice-fold after the President announced her.

"Please… Please…" She said, and the applause started to subside to a manageable level. "I sincerely hope that applause was for Ron here, and not me."

_WHAT!_ Was all Ron thought and started to step towards Kim to set her and all of these people straight. The original 5 Marines that had taken him from the hospital stepped up next to him, and stopped him. The look he gave the two who grabbed his arms cringed at the way Ron looked at them, but they held firm.

Kim continued to speak from her wheelchair. "My partner, Ron Stoppable, has been a part of my life for over 14 years. He has gone with me on missions from the first one to the most recent, and he has had my back every time. He has continually helped me… save the world. He would then always step back and let me take all the fame… and the glory." She shot a glare at Ron who visibly shrunk.

If I ever tried to thank him for what he has done, he would just say my own words back to me… 'No Big'. Well… No more." She paused.

"You all may be wondering why he was led up on the stage flanked by Marines, and with a blind-fold." There were a few murmurs of agreement in the audience. "Well… That was really the only way I could get him here.

"And from what I heard… He really put up a fight." Kim smirked at Ron who was blushing again. "I'm sorry Ron, but if I told you what was going on, you would have probably gotten away. I just couldn't let that happen, because you deserve this honor, more than anyone I have ever known."

After placing the mic in her lap, Kim carefully wheeled herself to Ron's side with one arm. She then picked it up again. "Ladies and Gentlemen, while my partner is subdued by a small army, please give him the applause that he so richly deserves."

There was a smattering of laughter, and then the applause that rose from the audience sounded even louder than any of the previous times, and it lasted for at least twice as long.

As the audience continued their applause, Kim switched the cordless microphone off and pushed herself up to a standing position. She hopped on one foot to Ron's side, who immediately offered his hand for support. She leaned into his ear and whispered…

"Ronald Stoppable… You're not only a hero to America, and to the world… You're MY Hero… And don't you forget it."

Ron whispered back. "How… how did you DO all this, Kim?"

Kim spoke with a smile. "Well… Wade may have the world wired… But I have the connections."

The end…

* * *

I hope this was "somewhat" believable, and in character.

Laters…


End file.
